The South African Communist Party (SACP) has called on its alliance partners to rally behind Gauteng African National Congress (ANC) chairperson Panyaza Lesufi, amid demands from the Democratic Alliance (DA) for action to be taken against him. The DA’s push follows a political spat between Lesufi and DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille regarding the removal of Cilliers Brink from the position of Tshwane mayor.
Lesufi has firmly resisted Zille’s involvement, stating that she will not dictate terms to the ANC. In response, SACP General-Secretary Solly Mapaila condemned the DA’s perceived interference in the internal matters of the ANC and its alliance partners.
Mapaila expressed his frustration, saying, “One thing that irritates me is allowing Helen Zille to interfere in alliance affairs. She insults our comrades and calls on the president to take action against certain individuals.”
He continued, “They are saying action must be taken against Panyaza Lesufi. Why should Panyaza be punished based on instructions from the DA? As the SACP, we are closely monitoring this situation. We will not tolerate any attempt to undermine our comrade on the basis of the DA’s directives.”
The SACP’s stance highlights growing tensions between the ANC alliance and the DA, with the communist party vowing to protect its leaders from what it perceives as external attempts to sow division within the ruling coalition.